1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an exercise machine carriage and more specifically it relates to an exercise machine carriage which allows for a wide range of exercises while maintaining improved balance and control for the exerciser.
2. Description of the Related Art
Any discussion of the related art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such related art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Exercise machines have been in use for many years. One common exercise machine that has enjoyed increasing popularity is the Pilates machine. A conventional Pilates machine generally includes a frame, a track extending across the frame, and a carriage slidably connected to the track. The carriage is connected to one end of the frame by one or more bias members such as springs. U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,803,095 and 8,641,585 to Sebastien Lagree both disclose an exemplary exercise machines suitable for Pilates exercises and additional exercises. U.S. Pat. No. 8,641,585 discloses the usage of a pair of openings at one end of the carriage.
While there have been numerous improvements in Pilates machines over the years, resulting in a wide variety of new designs, the prior art designs still suffer from a number of drawbacks. Because prior art Pilates machines do not include openings on either end of the carriage, or the use of straps, an exerciser is forced to rely upon frictional engagement between the body and the carriage when moving the carriage back and forth along the track during exercise.
This severely limits the types of exercises that can be performed to exercises which can be performed with simply a frictional engagement between the body and the carriage. Exercises in which there is limited contact between the body and the carriage, such as an exercise performed with fingertips or toes, are difficult or impossible to perform without something to anchor the fingertips, toes, or other limited contact body parts to the carriage. Even with more conventional exercises, the lack of such anchoring points as straps or openings increases the risk that a body part will slip off the carriage during exercise and result in injury.
Because of the inherent problems with the related art, there is a need for a new and improved exercise machine carriage system which allows for a wide range of exercises while maintaining improved balance and control for the exerciser.